Thursday, November 28, 2024

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• A cinematic celebration of Waterloo innovation and impact
• The 2025 GRADflix competition has launched
• Scan for solutions at today's medical imaging and diagnostics event
• On Black Friday, get 20 per cent off (almost) everything at W Store
• Thursday's tranche of tales

A cinematic celebration of Waterloo innovation and impact

Experience the unstoppable spirit of Waterloo in a new video that showcases the heart and drive of our Warrior community. From launching Canada’s first co-op education university to being a haven for innovation, research and entrepreneurship. At Waterloo, we’re not just making waves—we’re making the future! We’re tackling the world’s biggest challenges head-on. Watch this video and celebrate being part of this global community of changemakers.

The 2025 GRADflix competition has launched

A message from Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA).

Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) is thrilled to be hosting the seventh annual GRADflix competition! GRADflix is a research communication opportunity for graduate students. Participants create a video, moving slide show, or animation of no longer than 60 seconds (one minute) in length that describes their research. Finalist videos are then highlighted at our GRADflix showcase taking place February 4, 2025 at Federation Hall. All friends, family and Waterloo community members are welcome to attend this showcase.

By participating, graduate students can learn a new skill, expand their network, broaden their communication skills, win cash prizes ranging from $250-$750. Depending on your field of study and funding source, your video may meet the criteria for submission to SSHRC's Storytellers competition or other research communication competitions as well. Check out what previous participants have to say on our GRADflix experience webpage such as Liam Bursey who traveled the rugged coast of Newfoundland for his research. You can also watch videos submitted in previous years on our YouTube channel.

Here are the important dates left for the 2025 GRADflix competition:

• December 6: Deadline to submit the intention to complete form
• January 12: Deadline to submit your video
• February 4: GRADflix showcase

Thinking about participating but aren’t sure? Check out the recordings of our information and/or training session hosted this fall. You can also e-mail us at gradventure@uwaterloo.ca.

GRADflix is generously supported by graduate students through the Graduate Studies Endowment Fund.

Scan for solutions at today's medical imaging and diagnostics event

University of Waterloo faculty members will join corporate and industry professionals virtually for an Academic Industry Meeting Day (AIMday) event today to discuss industry challenges in medical imaging and diagnostics that spans several different areas and disciplines. The online event runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

"Medical imaging enables early detection and treatment of conditions, potentially saving lives," says a note from organizers. "These technologies help inform treatment plans, guide surgical interventions and monitor treatment efficacy. Despite their benefits, there is significant potential for advancements to provide quicker diagnoses and real-time information during surgery. AIMday Medical Imaging & Diagnostics offers a unique opportunity for researchers to engage in meaningful dialogue with organizations and explore innovative solutions to address the industry’s most pressing challenges. Academic Industry Meeting Day, known as AIMday, is a unique opportunity where academic experts respond to a question or challenge from organizations."

In each one-hour roundtable, participants will explore potential solutions to their organization’s challenge or question with respect to medical diagnostics, including image quality, acquisition, and analysis, and cultivate organization/academic collaborations for maximum real-world impact.

The University of Waterloo and Toronto Metropolitan University are organizing partners of today's event.

Established in 2008 at Uppsala University, Sweden, AIMday has been implemented and refined by leading universities around the world.

On Black Friday, get 20 per cent off (almost) everything at W Store

A message from Print + Retail Solutions.

Get 20 per cent off everything in W Store (SCH) and W Store Essentials (MC) when you shop in-store on Black Friday (Friday, November 29). A 20 per cent off discount applies to almost everything, including clearance products already discounted.

Some exclusions apply, including course kits and textbooks, custom orders, Indigenous Collection items, YETI drinkware, Jellycat, giftcards, diploma frames, calculators and non-UWaterloo branded technology.

Thursday's tranche of tales

Undergraduate students Meera Thavarajah, Abeer Cheema, and Kash Fazal under the supervision of Dr. Okechukwu Igboeli in the Department of Biology are conducting a study on the ethical and societal considerations of collecting 5G-related health data. "We are particularly interested in understanding the perspectives of individuals in remote areas regarding implied consent, digital literacy, health data collection, privacy, and data sharing," writes Thavarajah. "Participation includes completing a 10–15-minute online anonymous survey and you may decline to answer a question by leaving it blank."

If you're interested in participating, fill out the survey.

This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance from a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board, ORE #45636, ensuring that all responses will be kept confidential and used solely for research purposes. If you have any questions, please contact imaginelab@uwaterloo.ca. 

Elsewhere on campus, the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE) is holding a one-day workshop on Decarbonization Challenges for Canada’s Electricity Grid in partnership with the IEEE Kitchener-Waterloo Section PES Chapter and the IEEE PES Ottawa and London Chapters, and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The workshop is entitled Facing the Challenges: Achieving Decarbonization Goals for the Electricity Grid in Canada.

"With Canada's goal of an emissions-free electricity grid by 2035, this workshop will address key challenges and opportunities in the decarbonization journey," say organizers. "This event provides an essential forum for professionals, students, and sustainability advocates to explore the complexities of this critical transition."

The event will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Engineering 7's Faculty Hall.

The Department of Anthropology is hosting a Brown Bag Lunch tomorrow entitled "Caring For the Dead: Corpse Washers, Touch, and Mourning in Contemporary Turkey" at 12 noon in PAS 2030. The session features Dr. Asli Zengin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. 

"In Sunni Muslim funerals in Turkey, the state, religious actors, and members of kin and family hold the obligations and rights to the deceased, such as washing, shrouding, burying, and praying for the dead body, which the author characterizes as care for the dead," says the talk's abstract. "The practices of care represent the deceased body in strictly gendered ways. For instance, the coffin design, the prayers at the mosque, the washing ritual prior to burial, and the rites of inhumation are different for women and men. This article examines the intimate economies of touch that take place while preparing the deceased body for a religious afterlife. Touch, in the form of washing, kissing, and caressing the deceased by family members, is central to showing the last deeds and bidding farewell to the lost one. However, past cases demonstrate that when the deceased is a trans person, corpse washers and family members may refuse to touch the body of the deceased during the washing ritual. Theorizing touch as an essential care work for the dead, the author discusses the limits of gendered and sexual belonging in the practices and discourses of mourning and grief in Turkey."

The Make a Difference (MAD) - Holiday Market is set to take place on Saturday, November 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Conrad Grebel University College. "This festive gathering brings together local vendors and artisans for a day of community, shopping, and giving back," says a note from Grebel. "Discover unique gifts and support small businesses while helping us make a positive impact this holiday season."

Also on Saturday, the University Choir will present The Heart’s Garden at7:30 p.m. at First United Church on William Street in Waterloo.

"Directed by Liska Jetchick and accompanied by Nicole Simone, this talented group of students, staff, and faculty from UWaterloo will perform a wide range of choral pieces," says a note from the music department. "The University Choir will explore various themes central to the human condition through the music of Archadelt, Handel, and Tin, while featuring world premieres by composers Matthew Emery and Katy Dosman."

Tickets are available at the door and are $5 students/$10 general admission.